Pune car crash: Minor's parents sent in police custody till June 5 in evidence destruction case
Pune (PTI): A Pune court on Sunday remanded parents of a 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in the Porsche car accident in police custody till June 5 in a case pertaining to destruction of evidence.
The duo is being probed for their alleged role in tampering with the blood sample of the minor following the car accident on May 19 in Maharashtra's Pune city, which claimed the lives of two IT professionals.
The minor's mother, Shivani Agarwal, was arrested on June 1, after revelation that the boy's blood samples were replaced with hers.
The police had taken custody of his father, realtor Vishal Agrawal, arrested earlier in a related case, for allegedly being involved in the destruction of evidence.
The police produced the duo before a holiday court in Maharashtra's Pune city and sought their remand, which was allowed till June 5.
The police told the court that the Agarwal couple conspired and destroyed the evidence related to the accident.
They went to a state-run hospital and manipulated the blood samples of the minor, as per the police.
The couple's lawyer, Prashant Patil, submitted that the police have already searched their house and recovered the footage of CCTV installed at their place.
They have been booked under IPC section 201 (causing disapperance of evidence of offence), which is a bailable offence. Hence they should be sent to judicial custody, Patil said.
Besides the minor's parents, the police have also arrested his grandfather Surendra Agarwal for allegedly kidnapping the family's driver and putting pressure on him to take the blame for the accident, among other charges.
The other persons in the police custody are two doctors of the state-run Sassoon General Hospital and an employee for allegedly swapping the blood samples of the minor boy.
The police have registered three separate cases in connection with the car accident. The three cases include an FIR in connection with the accident and the second one against the bar that allegedly served liquor to the juvenile.
The police have booked the boy's father for allowing him to drive the car without a valid license.
A third case is about the wrongful confinement and coercion of the family driver to take the blame for the accident.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
ALSO READ: Three arrested for running fake Aadhaar racket in UP's Badaun
He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
